Isabelle Weidemann

Hobbies

Running with her dog, yoga, trail running. (Athlete, 16 Jan 2021, 14 Dec 2020)

Name of coach	Remmelt Eldering [national], NED
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating at age six, and started focusing on the sport seriously at age 12 in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Most influential person in career	Her parents, and her coaches. (Athlete, 16 Jan 2021, 14 Dec 2020)
Hero / Idol	US triathlete Gwen Jorgensen, Canadian speed skaters Kristina Groves, Christine Nesbitt, and Cindy Klassen. (sportbrand.ca, 01 Mar 2020; Athlete, 14 Dec 2020)
Famous relatives	Her siblings Jake and Lily have both competed in speed skating. Jake was part of the Canadian group that won gold in team pursuit at the 2020 Four Continents Championships in Milwaukee, WI, United States of America. Lily has competed in the sport at national level in Canada. (ottawasun.com, 26 Jan 2017; speedskating.ca, 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 19 Jan 2021)

Reason for choosing this sport

She competed in downhill skiing before following a family friend into speed skating. "My family was introduced to the sport through a family friend. I thought it sounded so cool, so I asked my parents to sign me up. I've always loved sport, so I grew up playing and competing in whatever I could. As I grew older, it became more apparent that the sport of speed skating played to my athletic strengths. I love that it is a combination of technique and physical ability, and I've always been drawn to the speed."

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Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	She always keeps her accreditation from events and writes her race highlights on the back. (olympic.ca, 01 Mar 2018)
Awards and honours	In 2019 and 2022 she was named Female Long Track Athlete of the Year by Speed Skating Canada. (speedskating.ca, 01 Mar 2022) She was flag bearer for Canada at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (sportsnet.ca, 19 Feb 2022) She shared the 2021 Female Athlete of the Year award with fellow speed skater Ivanie Blondin at the Ottawa Sports Awards in Canada. She also won the award in 2018. (ottawasportspages.ca, 28 Apr 2022; ottawasportsawards.ca, 15 Jan 2019) She received Speed Skating Canada's Rising Star of the Year Award for long track in the 2014/15 season. (olympic.ca, 01 Mar 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Try everything. It's easy to work hard and feel fulfilled when you're passionate about what you do. I love what I do." (facesmag.ca, 07 Jan 2019)
Nicknames	Izzy (thespec.com, 03 Mar 2020)
Injuries	She missed the 2022 World Cup event in Heerenveen, Netherlands, after testing positive for COVID-19. (cbc.ca, 10 Mar 2022)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning three medals at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Instagram profile, 29 Oct 2022)
Milestones	Alongside Valerie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin, she was part of the first Canadian team to win gold in women's team pursuit event at the Olympic Winter Games. The trio claimed victory at the 2022 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Oct 2023; cbc.ca, 07 Dec 2022)
Other information	POST-OLYMPIC REFOCUS In October 2022 she said that she was looking forward to focusing more on individual distances after winning team pursuit gold at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "I thought motivation would be difficult to find after the [2022] Olympic Games, but it has not been the case for me. I am really motivated to keep training and racing. With my coach, we have already fixed new objectives. I had an unbelievable Olympics but there is still room to improve. I was second in the 5000m so I can do better there. We [she and her team pursuit teammates from Beijing, Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais] worked four years to do our best at the Olympics and we achieved the ultimate goal as a team. Now, in particular this year [2022/23] as we start a new four-year cycle, we will concentrate on other things. It's time to be a bit more individual. Now I get to go and be a little bit more individual and specific to my own distances, the 3000m and 5000m, which I haven't had the chance to really focus on and really tune training to my own goals, so it's exciting figuring out that puzzle." (lapresse.ca, 13 Oct 2022; journaldequebec.com, 12 Oct 2022; CBC Sports YouTube channel, 11 Oct 2022)